Michigan Governor Signs Emergency Manager Bill

Legislation Would Give Broad New Powers To Emergency Managers In Michigan

POSTED: Tuesday, March 15, 2011

UPDATED: 7:47 pm EDT March 16, 2011

LANSING, Mich. -- Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation giving broad new powers to emergency financial managers appointed by the state of Michigan to run struggling cities and schools, including the ability to terminate union contracts. The Republican governor signed the measures Wednesday, the same day that thousands of union protesters rallied inside and outside the Capitol to protest the bills and others they say are anti-union. Related Story: Protesters Rally At Michigan Capitol Snyder says the six bills he signed will let the state offer assistance earlier when local governments are in financial distress, instead of waiting until they're on the brink of bankruptcy and give financial managers better tools. Many Democrats and labor unions say it's a state power grab that could set up virtual dictatorships and strip power from local elected officials. WATCH: Emergency Manager Bill Awaits Snyder's Signature Let us know what you think. Leave your comments below.

Previous Stories:

• March 14, 2011: Groups Plan Protest State Budget Cuts Monday
• March 11, 2011: Bill Would Freeze Teacher Pay Between Contracts
• March 9, 2011: Emergency Manager Bills Cross Senate Hurdle
• March 8, 2011: Protestors Against Giving Power To Emergency Managers
• March 8, 2011: Rally Against Emergency Manager Bills

MORE: Politics Headlines

Copyright 2011 by ClickOnDetroit.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Michigan Governor Starts "Financial Marshal Law," Is Wisconsin Next?

posted by: Robin Marty 12 hours ago

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has begun the process of taking over Benton Harbor, Michigan, inserting an Emergency Manager from his own team to take over the operations of the town.  From a press release from the Michigan AFL-CIO:

In the wake of a bill that was signed into law with high objection from the people, as it was a bill that threatened local communities, schools, townships, and municipalities, the first order has been officially issued in Benton Harbor.  Joseph L. Harris has used his emergency manager powers to "exercise any power or authority of any office, employee, department, board, commission, or similar entity of the City, whether elected or appointed." In addition, the Emergency Manager has the power to supersede any officer or entity and the power to act on behalf of the city.

"This is sad news for democracy in Michigan.  It comes after the announcement of Robert Bobb in Detroit ordering layoff of every single public school teacher in the Detroit Public School system," says Mark Gaffney, President of Michigan AFL-CIO.  "With the stripping of all power of duly elected officials in Benton harbor and the attack on Detroit school teachers, we can now see the true nature of the Emergency Manager system."

This is a real life instance of taking away our fundamental rights.  In fact, the only thing City Boards, Commissions, Authorities or other entities may do without the approval of an Emergency Manager is to:

1) Call a meeting to order
2) Approve of meeting minutes
3) Adjourn a meeting

Everything else is under the Emergency Manager's control.  These new powers are taking away the will and voice of the people by stripping away the rights of public officials elected by Michiganders.  By exploiting the current crisis situation, these emergency managers are able to ascertain unreasonable rules to completely control a city.  This is a true case of political over-reach, and will simply add to the hardships of an already suffering populace in Michigan.

Benton Harbor is in an extremely dire financial situation, with over 40 percent of its population under the federal poverty line, and a median household income of less than $18,000 a year.  But is the solution to fixing its problems to effectively dismantle the entirety of its local government and replace it with a governor's appointee?  And is that the plan for the other 100 local governments also on the "fiscal watch" list?

Snyder's move to reject local government and insert his own authority is one that is being closely monitored out in Wisconsin, where Governor Scott Walker is considering the same moves on some critical areas in his state. 

Forbes reports:

Following the lead of Michigan GOP Governor Rick Snyder, Walker is said to be preparing a plan that would allow him to force local governments to submit to a financial stress test with an eye towards permitting the governor to take over municipalities that fail to meet with Walker's approval.

According to the reports, should a locality's financial position come up short, the Walker legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.

Such a law would additionally give Walker unchallenged power to end municipal services of which he disapproves, including safety net assistance to those in need.

According to my sources, the plan is being written by the legal offices of Foley & Lardner, the largest law firm in the state, and is scheduled to be introduced to the legislature in May of this year.

With the election of numerous Republican governors in 2010, and a country still recovering from economic crisis, what is to stop all of the governors from simply declaring financial marshal law on struggling localities, and enforcing their own public policies onto them over the will of their elected officials? 

Are these governors doing away with local government all together?



The Emergency Financial Manager of the city of Benton Harbor has issued an order stripping all city boards and commissions of all their authority to take any action.
The order, signed Thursday, limits the actions available to such bodies to calling a meeting to order, approving the minutes of meetings and adjourning a meeting. The bodies are prohibited under the act from taking any other action without the express authority of the Emergency Financial Manager, Joseph Harris.
Actions such as Harris’ are explicitly allowed under a newly approved law which granted sweeping new powers to emergency financial managers. That legislation had drawn large protests, including attempts by some protesters to take over the state capitol building. The sit-in resulted in numerous arrests.
Harris’ move comes as Detroit Public Schools’ emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced that he would use powers granted to him under the act to change union contracts.
Watch for more from Michigan Messenger’s Eartha Jane Melzer.
Harris’ order is below.
Joe Harris Orders _5

Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 05:14 AM PDT

UPDATEDx2 The Czar of Benton Harbor gets right to work. Rejiggers 2 development-related commissions.

by Eclectablog

New Benton Harbor Emergency Financial Manager (EFM), effectively the "Czar of Benton Harbor", Joseph Harris got right to work this weekend in his new capacity by reconfiguring the city's Planning Commission and Brownfield Commission.

In two directives released Friday, Benton Harbor Emergency Manager Joseph Harris removed members of the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and Planning Commission, appointed others, and reduced brownfield board membership from nine to five. The commission and board were reorganized to make them more effective, Harris said. The changes were made "to include people who are interested enough and knowledgeable enough to show up and to make a contribution."
Eight members of the brownfield authority were removed from office: Mary Adams, Eddie Marshall, Willie Williams, Charles Yarbrough, Don Mitchell, Willie Bledsoe, Mathew Bradley and Juanita Henry. Only authority member Emma Hull made it onto the new, smaller authority.
Darwin Watson, Ted Hanson, Sandra Dudley and Debbie Popp, all city employees, were appointed to the new brownfield authority.

He also removed four people from the Planning Commission and replaced them with four others.
Since these two commissions will make crucial decisions on the future development of this community on the shores of Lake Michigan, it will be important to watch how they operate in the coming months and years. Shoreline real estate is extremely valuable and who ends up with development rights there plays a big role in who is able to capitalize on that. As a former Planning Commission member in Michigan, myself, I'm keenly aware of the power these groups have in the future of real estate development within a given municipality.
I just have to wonder where the anti-czar Republicans and tea partiers are in all of this. Also, here's my tweet from this weekend:

Will tea partiers fight the Big Govt takeover^TM  of Benton Harbor? Hahaha! Just kidding. BH is 90+% black. http://nblo.gs/gI5P5  #racism

By the way, in case you missed it yesterday, I had a diary up for a time that showed how Governor Rick Snyder is setting up other communities to become future Benton Harbors. It uses hard numbers from his proposed budget to show how already precariously-perched cities are about to be pushed over the edge:
How Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is quietly and intentionally creating more Benton Harbors.

UPDATE: There is a protest being organized for a week from Wednesday. Facebook page is HERE.

On Wednesday, April 27th there will be a march/rally in Benton Harbor, Michigan in response to the usurping of the rights and democratic process of their city government and their citizens by empowering a non-elected Emergency Financial Manager to take over the day-to-day operations of Benton Harbor. We will start at the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce located at 38 West Wall Street and then march to City Hall.
We need your help to get the word out to make this protest huge in numbers.
Thank you,
Heartland Revolution

UPDATE 2: Several updates here. First, in the Upper Peninsula town of Escanaba this past week, Governor Snyder's representative, Greg Andrews, held a townhall-style meeting where he discussed the EFM situation.

Andrews addressed those assembled, saying there were several myths that need to be dispelled concerning enactment of the legislation. "The appointment of an emergency financial manager dates back to 1988, when it was signed into law by then-Gov. Jim Blanchard," said Andrews. "This law has been on the books for the past 21 years, and our current governor has taken a look at the law and how to make it work better."
Andrews further explained that under the provisions enacted by Snyder, struggling units of government can receive assistance from the state much earlier, using an 18-point criteria.
~SNIP~
Another myth Andrews sought to debunk is that any financial manager appointed by the governor would "swoop in" and dismiss elected officials. Elected officials have the option of cooperating with the financial manager or not, if they choose not to cooperate, only then may they be removed by the governor, following a recommendation from the appointed financial manager.

In other words, as long as they do what they are told, local elected officials can keep their positions.
Also, the State of Michigan has been holding two-day training sessions for prospective EFMs.

A two-day training session that begins today for prospective emergency managers and turnaround experts has drawn a huge response. Seats at the Lansing Radisson were available for about 325 people, and more than 50 others who wanted to attend were put on a waiting list...

Two days of training and you're ready to assume complete control over a city government. I had heard this was true but to actually see that it is shocks me.
I'm just sayin'...
Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

Originally posted to Eclectablog - eclectic blogging for a better tomorrow on Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 05:14 AM PDT.

Congress: The Gang of Six

YGLESIAS

Apr 13th, 2011 at 10:27 am

The Senate And The Debt Ceiling

As long as we’re taking hostages, I don’t see what’s stopping Democratic Senators—who, after all, constitute a majority—from starting to talk about what concessions they’re planning to demand in exchange for a debt ceiling increase.
That would be the ideal negotiating framework. White House demands clean debt ceiling increase, House majority demands big spending cuts, Senate majority demands partial repeal of Bush tax cuts, and we all compromise on just doing the damn debt increase.

Rick Mckay/Cox Washington Bureau 

Saxby Chambliss, a Republican.

The Sunday New York Times front-paged the work the bipartisan “Gang of Six” is doing in trying to forge a deficit-reduction compromise. “As Mr. Obama and Republican leaders have warred publicly over the budget, this small group of senators has spent four months in dozens of secretive meetings in offices at the Capitol and over dinner at the suburban Virginia home of Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat. The senators have weathered criticism from bloggers and even colleagues, including the leaders of their own parties, who oppose tampering with Social Security or taxes. The gang nearly collapsed several times, including two weeks ago.”
Bloomberg News notes how Tea Party freshmen are heading home to sell their votes in favor of the Ryan budget plan, which -- among other things -- phases out Medicare. The budget fight spotlights the political risk confronting Republicans as Washington intensifies its focus on the long-term government deficits that will shape the country’s economic future and frame next year’s elections. How Republican leaders balance the expectations of Tea Party activists, who’ve pushed for cuts in popular programs including entitlements, with the need to protect vulnerable members in swing districts will define the party in the 2012 elections.
Elizabeth Drew on the Washington budget battle: "The possibility of a bipartisan 'Grand Bargain' has grown dimmer, given the lines that have now been drawn, and the Republicans’ perhaps inevitable hyperbole about the President’s speech, which they denounced as 'partisan' (Heavens!) and a campaign gimmick. They could not entertain the possibility that Obama’s was a serious, thoughtful offering. The House’s adoption Thursday of the deal made between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner last Friday offers a glimmer of a possibility of compromise on much larger issues, but if the past is prologue, they would be compromises essentially on Republican terms.
On Sunday, Speaker John Boehner’s press office announced he was leading a congressional delegation to Iraq.

Philip Scott Andrews/The New York Times

Senator Richard J. Durbin, a Democrat.

• April 18, 2011, 6:55 PM ET

Gang of Six Sees S&P Move as Sign to Act Soon on Budget Plan

By Patrick O’Connor and Damian Paletta
“Gang of Six” members reacted to the news Monday that Standard & Poor’s had downgraded its outlook for U.S. debt with grim warnings about the country’s financial future.
“This is one more warning sign that the financial markets are paying close attention to see if we are serious about addressing our budget deficits and long-term debt,” said Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat involved in  the bipartisan talks aimed at reaching a compromise on how to close the budget gap. “If we fail to take this seriously, and if our deficit and debt discussions turn into just another game of political brinkmanship, this could result in the most predictable economic crisis in our history.”
The S&P downgrade served as a real-world reminder that bond investors care what Congress does – or doesn’t do. And that bolsters the argument Mr. Warner and others make as they prod colleagues to forfeit a political fight in exchange for a deficit reduction package that maybe one day would balance the budget.
“Today’s warning from S&P highlights the dangers of waiting for the perfect political moment to tackle our debt crisis,” said Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, one of three Republicans in the “Gang of Six” talks.  “Waiting until the next election puts our fiscal and national security at risk.  It’s time for both sides to drop their partisan talking points and decide what we can do together while we still control our own destiny.”
Mr. Coburn further warns that if the two parties can’t work out a compromise, “We will soon find ourselves negotiating with foreign governments and the international financial community.”
The Gang of Six senators include Messrs. Warner and Coburn, along with Republicans Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Mike Crapo of Idaho and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate majority whip, and Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota.  They have been in talks to introduce legislation mirroring the conclusions of the president’s own deficit-reduction commission. That would include cutting spending, revamp popular entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid and possibly even raising taxes on some industries and individuals through a comprehensive reform that seeks to lower the overall corporate rate.
In a typical climate, this plan wouldn’t survive its first press conference. But this year is different.
Erskine Bowles, who co-chaired the White House’s deficit-reduction panel last year, said in an interview that the S&P warning should be “no surprise whatsoever” to officials in Washington or Wall Street.
“The outlook is negative if we do nothing,” he said. “If we make some of these changes that have come forward in some of these plans, then the outlook is bright. Its just more validation that this crisis we face is real.”
He doesn’t seem to suggest the bond markets will give negotiators much room for error.
“When the market really digests this, and if they ever decide that we aren’t serious about facing up to our long-term fiscal problems, then the reactions will be severe and they will be very quick,” he said.

April 16, 2011

‘Gang of Six’ in the Senate Seeking a Plan on Debt

By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON — Days after President Obama called for forming a bipartisan group in Congress to begin negotiating a $4 trillion debt-reduction package, the parties have not even agreed to its membership. Yet six senators — three Democrats, three Republicans — say they are nearing consensus on just such a plan.
Whether the so-called Gang of Six can actually deliver something when Congress returns from a recess in May could determine whether Democrats and Republicans can come together to resolve the nation’s fiscal problems before the 2012 elections.
As Mr. Obama and Republican leaders have warred publicly over the budget, this small group of senators has spent four months in dozens of secretive meetings in offices at the Capitol and over dinner at the suburban Virginia home of Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat.
The senators have weathered criticism from bloggers and even colleagues, including the leaders of their own parties, who oppose tampering with Social Security or taxes. The gang nearly collapsed several times, including two weeks ago.
The group’s oldest members — Senator Richard J. Durbin, 66, a progressive from Illinois who counts the Senate’s only socialist as a friend and ally, and Senator Saxby Chambliss, 67, a genial Georgia conservative whose nasty first campaign left lingering bad feelings among Democrats, and who is a confidant of Speaker John A. Boehner — illustrate that even with the mounting federal debt intensifying the partisan divide over spending and taxes, the severity of the fiscal threat is forging unlikely alliances.
If Mr. Durbin and Mr. Chambliss can cut a deal on Social Security and new tax revenues, their associates say, then just maybe all of Washington can come together.
For Republicans, that means accepting higher taxes and lower military spending. For Democrats, it would mean agreeing to curbs on the unsustainable growth of Medicare and Medicaid spending, as well as tweaks to Social Security, to avert a big shortfall in 2037 and as a trade-off for Republicans’ support on taxes.
Mr. Durbin and Mr. Chambliss reached those conclusions last year, each confronting the widening annual gaps between projected revenues and spending as the population ages and health care prices rise.
Mr. Durbin, the No. 2 leader in the Senate, was on Mr. Obama’s bipartisan fiscal commission, which recommended some solutions. Mr. Chambliss had joined informally with Mr. Warner to host private tutorials for Senate colleagues of each party with experts like Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman.
The two senators’ paths merged last December.
Several months ago, with Mr. Durbin as its most surprising yes vote, 11 of the 18 members of the president’s fiscal commission backed a blueprint to pare $4 trillion from projected deficits in the first decade. It would cut domestic and military spending; curb Medicare and Medicaid; and overhaul the tax code, limiting or repealing tax breaks and using the new revenues to lower tax rates and reduce deficits. Separate from its debt-reduction plan, the panel proposed benefit and payroll tax changes to stabilize Social Security for 75 years.
Immediately, Mr. Chambliss and Mr. Warner enlisted four senators from the commission majority to negotiate writing the recommendations into legislation. Besides Mr. Durbin, the others were Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who leads the Budget Committee, and Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Michael D. Crapo of Idaho, both Republicans.
“As I said to a Republican recently,” Mr. Durbin said in an interview, “it’s like we’re on a long flight here and we’ve come so far there’s no turning back — we’ve got to land the plane.”
The effort holds peril regardless of the outcome. If successful, a plan could be taken up as Congress debates this spring over raising the nation’s $14.2 trillion debt limit. But the group is hardly assured of support from Senate colleagues, let alone lawmakers in the House, where Republicans, including dozens of new Tea Party supporters, refuse to consider raising revenues. If the group fails, that would probably signal doom for the broader bipartisan effort Mr. Obama wants.
Mr. Durbin, the liberal Democrat, and Mr. Chambliss, the conservative Republican, may have the most at stake. Mr. Durbin could be isolated in the Senate leadership, and Mr. Chambliss potentially vulnerable given Republicans’ penchant for ousting incumbents who deviate from the antitax line. Neither senator faces re-election until 2014.
An administration official recalled that in early 2010, when Mr. Durbin was named to Mr. Obama’s fiscal commission, another White House official told its co-chairmen, “You’ll never get Durbin’s vote.”
Nine months later, Mr. Durbin announced his support in The Chicago Tribune for the recommendations the chairmen had negotiated with members. “The question my closest political friends are asking is this: Why is a progressive like Dick Durbin voting for this deficit commission report?” he wrote. The answer: “Borrowing 40 cents out of every dollar we spend for missiles or food stamps is unsustainable.”
So, Mr. Durbin added, “when we engage in the critical decisions about our nation’s future budgets, I want progressive voices at the table to argue that we must protect the most vulnerable in our society and demand fairness in budget cuts.”
That has been his mantra with disappointed allies in labor, women’s groups and the Senate. Mr. Durbin, in the interview, cited a private meeting requested by Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, a socialist and “a good friend.” Their exchange, Mr. Durbin said, captured the increasing difficulty in being a good progressive “at a time of limited resources.”
Mr. Sanders said he respected Mr. Durbin for his good intentions. “But I think the direction in which he is going in working with some of the most very conservative members of the Senate is not correct,” Mr. Sanders said.
Critics suggest that Mr. Durbin is seeking a new role to counter the prominence of Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, his roommate and his rival in the Senate leadership.
But Andy Stern, a former labor leader who was on the fiscal commission and opposed its report, defended Mr. Durbin, saying, “It’s classic Washington that we can’t imagine that someone does something because they think it’s the right thing to do.”
That is Mr. Chambliss’s claim as well. “I hear my critics; I pay attention to my constituents,” he said in an interview. “But you’ve got to do the right thing and what’s best for the country.”
And Mr. Chambliss has been increasingly outspoken in arguing that additional revenues must be part of a debt-reduction plan, given the scale of the problem.
“I’m taking arrows from some on the far right,” he told the Rotary Club of Atlanta in an appearance with Mr. Warner on Monday. “Are some people going to pay more in taxes? You bet.”
A bolt came in February from Grover Norquist, a Republican antitax activist, who wrote to Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coburn and Mr. Crapo to say they would violate his group’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” if they supported raising revenues for deficit reduction.
The trio countered the same day, releasing a letter telling Mr. Norquist that their effort broke no pledge “but rather affirms the oath we have taken to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, of which our national debt may now be the greatest.”
Perhaps more troublesome for Mr. Chambliss have been critics at home like Erick Erickson, a conservative blogger, Atlanta radio talk-show host and CNN contributor. “Is Saxby Chambliss Becoming a Democrat?” Mr. Erickson asked in a recent blog post.
For many actual Democrats, Mr. Chambliss remains negatively defined by his 2002 defeat of Senator Max Cleland, a triple-amputee veteran of Vietnam, after a campaign that included an ad picturing Mr. Cleland with Osama bin Laden. Mr. Chambliss’s work on the Gang of Six has done as much as anything to soften attitudes.

Roe v. Wade: 10 States With The Most Shocking 'Anti-Woman' Republican Formulated Legislation

[ Posted On: 2011-04-13 ]

[ Amanda Marcotte ]

If you feel like the swirl of outrageous state-based anti-woman legislation is worse than it's ever been, you're not hallucinating. Republicans really have declared a surge in their war on women, and it's a nationwide phenomenon. Anti-choicers are trying to destroy Roe v. Wade by a death from a thousand cuts, so that when we wake up one day and the right to a safe, legal abortion is really, truly gone in many states, it will be hard to pinpoint exactly which law killed it.

Here's a sample of 10 states in which access to reproductive health care (and in one case, any kind of health care at all) is severely threatened.

1. South Dakota. There's only one clinic in the entire state of South Dakota that offers abortion, a Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls. No doctors who provide abortions at the clinic live near it, so they all have to fly in from where they work full-time elsewhere to provide this service. A new abortion restriction signed into law last month now threatens even this weak access to abortion. While most media attention has been directed at a religious freedom-violating requirement that women who want abortions have to suffer a Christian fundamentalist anti-choice lecture at a crisis pregnancy center first, it may be the newly mandated 72-hour waiting period that makes it impossible for Planned Parenthood to continue offering abortions.

The law requires the doctor performing the abortion to personally meet with the patient at least three days before her appointment. Despite the lip-smacking claims from backers of the law that this is about making sure women are making “informed” choices, it's obvious the real aim of the bill is to multiply the number of times the doctors have to fly into the state. The likelihood is high that the demands on their time will prove too much, and the doctors providing abortions in South Dakota will simply quit, leaving the state without a single legal, safe abortion provider.

2. Virginia. Gov. Bob McDonnell and the anti-choice coalition in the state legislature have a two-pronged strategy for the women of their state: attack both their ability to pay for abortion and their ability to find a safe, legal provider in the first place. McDonnell amended a bill establishing Virginia's health insurance exchange that banned women using the exchange from having insurance coverage for their abortions. Most of these women would struggle to pay for abortion out of pocket, since the exchanges are set up to handle people who aren't covered by their employers, usually because they're part-time, underpaid workers or unemployed.

But even if you can get the money together, Virginia wants to make it hard for you to find a doctor. McDonnell also signed into law a bill requiring that abortion clinics meet hospital regulations in order to stay open, which is similar to requiring your dentist to work out of a hospital if he wants to drill your cavities. The move has nothing to do with safety, but will likely end up causing 17 clinics to shut their doors, leaving only four abortion providers in the entire state of nearly 8 million people.

3. Arizona. Arizona has upped the ante by passing a law that uses race-baiting to give angry, abusive men control over women's bodies. The law allows the would-be father to claim that an abortion was done for “race or gender” reasons, meaning that men who are bitter because they were dumped by wives or girlfriends can lash out at the doctor who performed the abortion. This could make clinics hesitant to perform abortions on women who often need them the most, i.e. women in abusive relationships.

Republican War on Women / Single Mothers

Gov. Jan Brewer also signed into law a bill that requires medication abortions to be administered only by doctors. Currently, many abortion services in Arizona are performed by nurse practitioners who have the ability to prescribe RU-486. This move means the end of abortion access in at least three clinics in Flagstaff, Yuma and Prescott.

4. Minnesota. Giving abusers more control over their victims is a theme in Minnesota as well. Lawmakers there are considering requiring minors to get parental consent for any medical care, unless they get a judicial bypass proving they're victims of incest. This is about more than abortion; minors who want contraception, STD testing or treatment, or pregnancy testing would have to inform their parents. So if it burns when you pee, but you can't tell your parents because Jesus told them they have to beat the ever-living crap out of you for being a sinner? The price you'll have to pay in Minnesota is infertility, sickness and possibly even death for the “crime” of being a minor with abusive parents.

5. Indiana. The war on women's rights in Indiana, already one of the worst states in the country for reproductive rights, is notable for the viciousness of the misogyny that marked the debate. When pro-choice legislators attempted to amend a ban on abortions after 22 weeks for rape or incest victims--knowing that victims, especially very young ones, are often in denial for months about what happened to them--Rep. Eric Turner stood up and insisted that many women would wait until they were six months pregnant, capriciously change their minds about having a baby, and falsely claim to be raped in order to get an abortion that's exponentially more expensive than one obtained early in the pregnancy. The majority of Indiana representatives agreed with this view of women as fickle-minded liars, passing the bill 72-23.

The Indiana House also passed a bill requiring doctors to read scripted anti-choice propaganda to patients before the abortion. The Senate committee killed an amendment offered by a Democratic senator that would require the propaganda to be scientifically accurate. It appears that Indiana legislators, having convinced themselves that all women are liars, believe lying is just fine when they do it.

6. Florida. Florida only got a D on the 2011 report card for the states, and I guess they're eager to play catch-up in the Misogyny Olympics, because the legislature filed 18 separate bills restricting abortion rights. The bills are the usual scattershot of restrictions, including mandatory ultrasounds, a ban on post-20 week abortions, a First Amendment-violating law banning discussion of drugs or herbs that could induce miscarriage, and restrictions on private insurance funding for abortion. The overwhelming number of bills caused state representative Scott Randolph to crack that his wife should incorporate her uterus if she wants to have basic privacy rights, which in turn caused the censorship-happy Republican caucus to censure Randolph and attempt to silence his telling jokes in the future.

7. Missouri. Heavily Catholic Missouri, which has received an F from NARAL for all 20 years it has had state grades on abortion laws, only has abortion provisions in 4 percent of its counties. The legislature is desperate to find a way to get rid of even those few stalwarts. Missouri is trying to join the field of states that have banned post-20 week abortions, even after hearing testimony indicating that most of these very rare abortions are performed for medical reasons. Missouri is eager to ban abortions but also force women into situations where they have to have abortions. The House passed yet another law allowing pharmacists to deny women emergency contraception, with the hopes that given enough runaround, many women will become pregnant who otherwise could have avoided it. (EC works by preventing ovulation, therefore pregnancy.) The catch-22--can't have an abortion, can't avoid the need for one--is a common theme of anti-choice legislation.

8. Kansas. Things have been especially ugly in Kansas in the past few years, starting with the brutal murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, the subsequent victory dance of anti-choicers, and the vicious harassment campaign of Dr. Mila Means that resembles the one that led up to Dr. Tiller's murder. Instead of discouraging the violence and threats, the Kansas legislature has signaled its approval, passing a ban on post-22-week abortions and a law requiring both parents to sign off on a minor's abortion, a law that unfairly punishes young women for having a negligent or imprisoned parent.

9. Alabama. Alabama, considered by NARAL to be at the bottom of the list in reproductive rights, has decided that worst isn't bad enough. The legislature is considering a “personhood” law that would define fertilized eggs as persons. Laws like this not only threaten abortion rights, but could also be used to ban in-vitro fertilization, prevent non-sterilized women from holding certain jobs, be used to prosecute pregnant and potentially pregnant women for drinking and smoking, and be used to deny even life-saving medical care to women. (North Dakota's similar bill bars doctors from killing fertilized eggs, even during medically necessary care.) One of the most likely results of bills like this is that doctors will be forbidden from treating ectopic pregnancies with drugs, and will be forced to wait until a patient's ovary explodes before administering treatment, putting the patient in danger of death. Anti-choice activists also hope to use misinformation campaigns that claim the birth control pill is “abortion” (actually, it works by suppressing ovulation) in order to use personhood bills to ban the pill.

10. Idaho. Idaho is one of the many states that is using fake science claiming that fetuses at 20 weeks can feel pain in order to ban abortions after 20 weeks. But what makes the legislature's attempts to ban abortions after 20 weeks stand out in the crowd is that the legislature has a vendetta against one man, Dr. Leroy Carhart. State legislatures, even in small states, don't usually write their laws to target individuals for harassment, but Dr. Carhart is the exception, since he offered to help patients in need of late-term abortions after Dr. Tiller's assassination left a gap in nationwide services. Idaho is hardly the only state siding with anti-choicers against Dr. Carhart. Last year, the state of Nebraska was the first to ban post-20-week abortions in a law aimed directly at Carhart, who moved his practice to Maryland in response. The ban in Nebraska has already left tragedy in its wake.

Sadly, this is just a sample of the number of bills that have cropped up across the country in a nationwide attempt to wipe out women's right to abortion--and in some cases, contraception--once and for all.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

2012 Presidential Candidates

 Was Donald Trump Born In Mexico?

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 18, 2011 in Hilarious | 1 Comment

People are speculating that Donald Trump may have been born in Mexico because of this Donald Trump birth certificate (which shows he was born in Mexico.)
This speculation about Trump’s Mexican birth combined with the fact that his mother was born in Scotland and was not a citizen of the US when Trump was born are leading some to question whether Trump is eligible to become President of the United States if the American public is actually insane enough to vote for him.
Many people are wondering why Trump has yet to deny the validity of this Mexican birth certificate? If there were nothing to it, wouldn’t he have denied it by now?
Unlike President Barack Obama (who is the only sitting President in US history to have made his official birth certificate public) Donald Trump has not put an official US birth certificate online. Trump claims he was born in New York.
Trump supporters would point out that Trump’s millionaire father Fred Trump was born in America, Trump detractors point out that only proves that Trump inherited wealth and is not the self made man he presents himself as.
It certainly does not prove Trump was born in America. One could even argue that the wealth of Trump’s family makes it more plausible that he could have been born in Mexico as his millionaire father may have been doing business there.
~~~
Donald Trump’s grandfather (Fred Trump’s father) was born Friedrich Drumpf and changed his name to Fred Trump. He was an immigrant and I’ve been unable to find any information on which country he was born in.

Why Birthers (Including Donald Trump) Are All Insane Idiots

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 17, 2011 in Features | 2 Comments

1. Birthers claim that President Barack Obama hasn’t released his birth certificate when in fact he is the only sitting President in history to have made his birth certificate public record.
Obama had no legal requirement to release his birth certificate publicly. George W. Bush & Bill Clinton never released their birth certificates. He did it to end any reasonable doubts about his birthplace. Only unreasonable doubts remain in the barely functioning minds of conspiracy theorist whack-jobs. Read the rest

Michael Steele: “We Don’t Know Yet”

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 16, 2011 in Features | 1 Comment

“We Don’t Know Yet” was Michael Steele’s response to Bill Maher’s question about what happens to seniors when they run out their $15,000 voucher on the new Republican “Medicare In Name Only” privatized voucher plan which would replace Medicare as we know it:
This Republican plan to replace Medicare with an “ObamaCare” like privatized voucher system is absolutely astonishingly terrible (and quite obviously hypocritical.) Everyone knows that no private insurance company is going to want to cover elderly sick people at anything close to a reasonable cost. This is why Medicare was created in the first place.
This idea that the “free market” is best for everything is nothing more than a belief. It’s a type of faith. It’s not based on real world results. Medicare is a much better system for the elderly than a free market health insurance system. For that matter; I think it’s also quite obviously a much better system for people of all ages.
Medicare is not the problem. It’s the solution. Instead of kicking elderly people off of Medicare and feeding their savings to the millionaires that run private insurance companies we should be creating a “Medicare for All” universal health care program for everyone in the United States.

MINO: Medicare In Name Only (GOP Ends Medicare)

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 16, 2011 in Features | 1 Comment

Yesterday 235 Republicans voted to end Medicare by voting for the Paul Ryan 2012 budget. Only 4 Republicans voted against the plan to eliminate Medicare and 0 Democrats voted for it.
The Republicans will claim that they aren’t ending Medicare but instead just “transforming” it. They’ll say Medicare will still exist because they are still calling it “Medicare” right?
The problem is that you can’t fundamentally change the nature of something and pretend like it still exists as the same thing it was just because you are calling it the same name. The voucher based/privatized health care system that the Republicans want to replace Medicare with is just MINO: Medicare In Name Only.
Features of Medicare In Name Only
*** Privatized voucher system (astonishing GOP hypocrisy: this plan is pretty much just like “ObamaCare”.)
*** No more guaranteed health care coverage for seniors.
*** Out of pocket expenses will double.
*** Raises eligibility age from 65 to 67.
*** Starting in 2013, beneficiaries would face a $600 combined deductible for Parts A (mainly inpatient care) and B (mainly ambulatory care) of Medicare combined, but pay a 20 percent co-insurance on each part — including hospital care — up to a catastrophic out-of-pocket limit of $6,000, after which cost-sharing would be zero.
You can find more details on the terrible GOP MINO plan here.
~~~
The Republican’s budget bill also ends Medicaid. It replaces the current system with block grants to states. $700 billion would be cut from Medicaid in the next 10 years. This would leave millions of Americans with far worse health care coverage.
But while they were cutting all of these programs for sick old people and poor children they did manage to find some cash to give to healthy millionaires. This bill includes trillions of dollars in additional tax cuts for the rich.

New 2012 Florida Poll

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in 2012 President | 1 Comment

A new Suffolk University poll of potential general election match-ups has President Obama down by 1% point against Mitt Romney and up against Mike Huckabee by only 3% points.
Obama won Florida by only 3% points in 2008 (Obama 51%, McCain 48%) so these aren’t terrible numbers in comparison with 2008 but they also aren’t particularly encouraging for the President. That said; Obama can afford to lose Florida as long as he picks up some other swing states like Virginia and Ohio.
If Obama is lucky enough to face one of the crazier Republicans in the general election (like Donald Trump or Sarah Palin) things are looking a lot better for him. He’s got leads against both Trump and Palin of at least 15% points.
Complete Results
Obama 42%, Romney 43% (-1)
Obama 44%, Huckabee 41% (+3)
Obama 45%, Newt Gingrich 36% (+9)
Obama 41%, Tim Pawlenty 28% (+13)
Obama 45%, Michele Bachmann 30% (+15)
Obama 49%, Donald Trump 34% (+15)
Obama 52%, Sarah Palin 34% (+18)
Obama 48%, Ron Paul 30% (+18)
Obama 47%, Haley Barbour 26% (+21)
Mitt Romney?
The question is will Republican primary vote for “RINO” Mitt RomneyCare just because he seems to have the best chance of competing against President Obama in the fall or will they stick with one of the unelectable candidates (Trump, Palin, Gingrich, Paul, & Bachmann all have virtually no chance of beating President Obama in November 2012.)

Republicans Need To Stop Whining

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in Features | 1 Comment

Republicans propose eliminating Medicare (the GOP House has now passed a budget that eliminates Medicare) and give trillions more in tax cuts for the rich and then whine when the President calls them out on it:

235 House Republicans Vote To End Medicare

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in 2012 House | 3 Comments

It’s official: 235 House Republicans have voted to end Medicare. Only 4 Republicans voted against it. No Democrats voted for it. Democrats all stood together with the President in support of protecting Medicare.
This Republican budget for 2012 phases out Medicare and replaces it with a voucher/private insurance program much like “ObamaCare.” Yes. The same Republicans who spent all of 2009 and 2010 saying “ObamaCare” was the worst thing in the world and complained how it would cut into Medicare are now eliminating Medicare in favor of an ObamaCare like approach for seniors! The hypocrisy is mind blowing.
Along with ending Medicare as we know it, this Republican budget slashes funding for Medicaid and gives trillions of dollars in additional tax cuts to the wealthy. Clearly there’s nothing “serious” about the Paul Ryan/GOP budget.
Paul Ryan does not care about cutting the deficit. If he did he wouldn’t include trillions of dollars in tax cuts for millionaires in his budget. And as the President recently said about Ryan: “this is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill — but wasn’t paid for. So it’s not on the level.”
The good news is that this terrible plan for eliminating Medicare cannot come to fruition as long as President Obama is in the White House as he has vowed to veto it no matter what.
To those who say voting is not important; please reread that last sentence. Voting in 2012 could very well make the difference between whether you and your family has access to Medicare in the future.

Yes Birthers: You Are Kenyans Too!

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in Hilarious | 2 Comments

Many people (some who aren’t even birthers) make the mistake of saying that President Barack Obama hasn’t released a birth certificate but instead a “certification of live birth.”
They say this because at the top of the Hawaiian birth certificate that Obama has released publicly it says “Certification of Live Birth” and not “Birth Certificate.”
This is complete nonsense. Every state has their own official wording for birth certificate and Hawaii’s happens to be “Certification of Live Birth.” This does not mean it’s a different document from the “real birth certificate.” It’s just official terminology for the exact same thing. When President Obama asked for a copy of his official birth certificate from Hawaii this is what was sent to him.
This is it. The document Obama made public is his official birth certificate and it states that Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7:24 PM on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
So this my challenge to all “Birthers” (including Donald Trump): Take a look at your own birth certificate (the official document sent to you by the state you were born in that you use to get a passport) and see what it says on it. Make note of what information is included (and which info is not included.) Take a good look at what it’s titled.
You are very likely to find that it is pretty much exactly like the birth certificate President Obama has made public (each state may have slight differences.) In which case I think there are only two conclusions you can come to:
1. You’ve been a complete loon in doubting the President’s birthplace for no good reason. The President was born in Hawaii just as his birth certificate says. (Welcome back to reality.)
2. You were born in Kenya too.
By the way: Obama is actually the only sitting President in history to have made his birth certificate public record.
Obama’s Kenyan Grandmother
This whole ridiculous conspiracy theory may have started with the idea that Obama’s grandmother claimed he was born in Kenya in a telephone interview in 2008. Unfortunately for birthers that’s simply not true: Sarah Obama said Barack was born in America. Obviously.

Republican House Bills Are Not Serious

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in Features | 1 Comment

Democrats in the House switched their votes from “No” to “Present” today to force the Republicans to decide amongst themselves which budget they support.
Because of this the Republicans had to hold the vote open after it was supposed to have ended so some of them could change their votes from “Yes” to “No” because otherwise the far right wing budget (even more far right wing than the Paul Ryan budget) they were voting on would have become the Republican’s official budget proposal (replacing Ryan’s plan to eliminate Medicare and cut taxes even more on the rich.)
Many Republicans switched their votes from “Yes” to “No” when they realized that the bill might actually pass. This proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that their original “Yes” votes were for show only. This bill was not intended to be a serious proposal. It was only to brought to the floor to appease the far right wing Tea Party types.

GOP Loses Control: Donald Trump in the Lead

By ThePresidentialCandidates.US on Apr 15, 2011 in 2012 President | 2 Comments

Republican leadership has to be completely freaked out by the latest PPP national polling for the Republican presidential nomination.
According to this poll; the punchline known as Donald Trump has opened up a significant lead among Republicans as their top choice to represent the party in the 2012 general election against President Barack Obama.
Trump is, of course, a complete joke who has gone bankrupt on many occasions and inherited his wealth from his millionaire father.
The fact that Trump is in first place among Republicans tells us two things: the other GOP candidates for President are not very interesting or exciting even to Republican voters and that the base of the Republican Party (ie: “Tea Party”) is completely off their rockers (according to this poll 23% won’t vote for a “non-birther“) and doesn’t seem to care at all about nominating a reasonable candidate to take on the President in November of 2012.
PPP GOP Poll Results:
Donald Trump 26%
Mike Huckabee 17%
Mitt Romney 15%
Newt Gingrich 11%
Sarah Palin 8%
Ron Paul 5%
Michele Bachmann 4%
Tim Pawlenty 4%
Mike Huckabee Might Not Even Run
There’s a good chance that second place Huckabee won’t bother making a run for it. Where would his supporters go? Neither Trump nor Romney seem like a good fit for Evangelical Huckabee voters considering one has a very checkered past (Trump) and the other is a Mormon (Romney.)

Republican Presidential Contenders for 2012

ABC News' Look at Top GOP Presidential Hopefuls and Their Chances of Winning Nomination

By AMY WALTER, MICHAEL FALCONE and DEVIN DWYER

Less than a year before the Iowa caucuses, a diverse and ambitious group of Republicans has begun jockeying for the party's presidential nomination and a chance to go head-to-head with President Obama in 2012.

Getty Images

ABC News looks at top GOP presidential hopefuls that include Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin and their chances of winning the nomination.

The list is dominated by GOP governors and former governors, including familiar faces such as Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. There are also newcomers to the presidential race, such as Tim Pawlenty and Newt Gingrich.
Some, like Romney and Pawlenty, are all-but-declared candidates, while others, like Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, are still in a wait-and-see phase. Many political observers expect the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, to jump into the race when he leaves his diplomatic post at the end of April.
And there are genuine wild cards, like former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who has also intimated she could get in the game. Real estate mogul Donald Trump has been signaling that 2012 might be the year he takes a plunge into presidential politics.
The race is off to a slower start than in 2008. So far, only one Republican thought to have a shot at challenging President Obama -- Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota -- has formally started the campaign process by forming an exploratory committee. And by the early spring of 2007, candidates were already well on their way to building up huge campaign war chests. The pace of fundraising among potential GOP contenders has not nearly been as intense.
Meanwhile, President Obama officially kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign in early April with a Web video that sent a realistic message about the challenges he will face as an incumbent candidate -- a departure from the heady themes of "hope" and "change" that formed the cornerstone of his White House bid.
Here's a look at 24 Republicans whom ABC News has identified as likely and not-so-likely contenders in 2012:

2012 GOP Front Runners

Mitt Romney
Former Governor of Massachusetts

"I haven't made a decision yet as to what we're going to do. That decision will be made sometime down the road, but I can tell you that I'm very drawn to the fact that this country needs someone who has private sector experience, because this economy is troubled." Romney on "GMA," Feb. 1, 2011.
Age: 63
Birthplace: Detroit
Family: Ann Romney (wife); Children: Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben, and Craig
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)
Current job: Keynote speeches, GOP fundraising
Previous national campaign experience: Presidential candidate, 2008
Most Recent Book Written: "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness" (2010)
PAC: Free and Strong America PAC, Inc.
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $5,568,466.75
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $796,207.59
Total 2010 fundraising for the federal and five state PACs: $6,300,723.52
WATCH Romney Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Name ID, experienced campaign team, proven fundraising ability, success as a businessman.
CONS: The Massachusetts health care law enacted during his tenure as governor, especially the contentious issue of individual mandates, his religion (Mormon) is still seen by many as an impediment to his ability to appeal to socially-conservative Evangelical Christian primary voters.
Mike Huckabee
Former Governor of Arkansas

"I'm thinking very carefully. I'm very seriously considering making a run for it." Huckabee on "GMA," adding he'll make a decision this summer, Feb. 21, 2011.
Age: 55
Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas
Family: Janet Huckabee (wife); Children: John, Mark, David, and Sarah
Religion: Southern Baptist
Current job: Host of "Huckabee" on Fox News Channel
Previous experience: Presidential candidate, 2008
Most Recent Book Written: "A Simple Christmas" (2009)
PAC: HuckPac
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $979,009.40
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $137,660.40
WATCH Huckabee Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Well known. Still popular with conservative base. Knows what to expect/prepare for in the campaign.
CONS: Record as pro-government governor doesn't sit well with GOP base, especially his decision to parole a criminal who went on to murder police officers in Washington state last year.

Sarah Palin
Former Governor of Alaska
" I'm looking at the lay of the land now, and ... trying to figure that out, if it's a good thing for the country, for the discourse, for my family." Palin to ABC's Barbara Walters, November 2010.
Age: 46
Birthplace: Sandpoint, Idaho
Family: Todd Palin (husband); Children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig
Religion: Non-denominational Christian
Current job: Reality TV show host; Fox News contributor
Previous experience: Vice presidential candidate, 2008
Most Recent Book Written: "America By Heart" (2010)
PAC: SarahPac
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $3,553,094.79
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $1,328,951.26
WATCH Palin Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Name ID. Access to grassroots fundraising. Strong following among social conservatives and Tea Party types. Ability to dominate "free" media means she doesn't have to spend as much money on paid advertising.
CONS: Lack of organizational campaign structure or strategy. Even among those who view her favorably there's an electability concern. Mixed record in Alaska, especially the fact that she quit midway through her term as governor.

2012 Chief Republican Challengers

Tim Pawlenty
Governor of Minnesota
"Join the team and, together, we'll restore America." Pawlenty forms presidential exploratory committee, March 12, 2011.
Age: 50
Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
Family: Mary Pawlenty (wife); Children: Anna and Mara
Religion: Baptist
Current job: Governor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Courage to Stand: An American Story" (2011)
PAC: Freedom First PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $2,096,639
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $154,989.60
Total 2010 fundraising for the federal and state PACs: $2,600,000
WATCH Pawlenty Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Record of fiscal conservatism as governor. Midwest roots give him leg up in Iowa caucus. "Electability argument". "Sam's Club" brand of "common sense conservatism" allows him to reach beyond traditional GOP base and attract independents in a general election. Serious and credible campaign team in place.
CONS: Fundraising: he's never had to raise big bucks before, and couldn't due to restrictive state campaign finance laws. He may be able to raise what he needs, but no one knows for sure if he can. Can "Minnesota Nice" win over a restive and fired up base?

Newt Gingrich
Former Speaker of the U.S. House
"We will look at this very seriously and we will very methodically lay out the framework of what we'll do next." Gingrich announces "exploratory phase" in Atlanta, March 9, 2011.
Age: 67
Birthplace: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Family: Callista Gingrich (wife); Children: Two daughters with Jackie Battley (first wife)
Religion: Roman Catholic (formerly Baptist; converted in March '09)
Current job: Chairman, American Solutions for Winning the Future; college professor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine" (2010)
PAC: American Solutions PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $736,708.60
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $64,716.60
WATCH Gingrich Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Name ID. Goodwill among party base. Seen as "ideas guy," big thinker and intellectual heavyweight. Skilled grassroots organizer.
CONS: Messy personal life, including multiple divorces. Fundraising: he's been able to raise for his 527 groups but those don't have the restrictive limits that presidential candidate has to live under.

Mitch Daniels
Governor of Indiana
"The simple fact is, I don't plan to do it, I don't expect to do it, I really don't want to do it." Daniels at Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington, February 2010.
Age: 61
Birthplace: Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Family: Cheri Lynn Herman Daniels (wife); Children: Meagan, Melissa, Meredith, and Maggie
Religion: Presbyterian
Current job: Governor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: N/A
WATCH Daniels Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: No-nonsense Midwestern governor with track record of success. "Nerdy chic" appeal. A numbers guy who can appeal to the GOP's fiscal conservatives and deficit hawks.
CONS: Social conservatives aren't happy with his de-emphasis on social issues. Is he "nerdy chic" or "charismatically challenged?"

Haley Barbour
Governor of Mississippi
"I'm not going to make a decision to run until I both decide that I should do it and I'm prepared to go pretty well go most if not full time from that point forward." Barbour to ABC's Amy Walter, November 2010.
Age: 63
Birthplace: Yazoo City, Mississippi
Family: Marsha Barbour (wife); Children: Sterling and Reeves
Religion: Presbyterian
Current job: Governor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "The Agenda for America" (1996)
PAC: Haley's PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $917,437.50
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report):$391,609.70
WATCH Barbour Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Great fundraiser with deep ties into traditional sources of fundraising. Record of success as governor, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. One of the best campaign strategists and messaging gurus in the party.
CONS: Former lobbyist and GOP power broker. Intraparty opponents will have a field day with opposition research. Can a guy who looks and sounds like a wheeler-dealer sell in Iowa and New Hampshire? Can he convince Republican voters he can sell himself nationwide?

2012 GOP Wild Cards

Donald Trump
Real Estate Mogul, Reality TV Show Star
"Part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich. So if I need $600 million, I can put $600 million myself. That's a huge advantage over the other candidates. " Trump to ABC News, March 2011.
Age: 64
Birthplace: Queens, New York
Family: Meliana (wife; twice divorced); Children: Donald, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, Barron
Religion: Presbyterian
Current job: Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education In Business and Life" (2009)
PAC: N/A

WATCH Trump Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Super Rich. Almost universal name recognition with name on buildings all over the world and on TV. He's the ultimate "outsider."
CONS: Lot of controversial business deals, lawsuits, and personal relationships that he'll have to defend. And, what happens when Trump actually has to answer questions about his views on issues? Campaigning on TV is the easy part. Eating a pork chop on a stick while sweating in the August heat at the Iowa State Fair, or slogging through snow drifts to kiss babies and shake hands in New Hampshire, is an entirely different ball game.

Michele Bachmann
Congresswoman from Minnesota
"I'm trying to set the table, if you will. Because these voters are vital in the early states. They're going to make a very important decision about our nominee. So my focus really is to keep the voters focused on the issues," Bachmann on "GMA" of her visits to early primary states Feb. 17, 2011.
Age: 54
Birthplace: Waterloo, Iowa
Family: Marcus (husband); Children: Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline, Sophia
Religion: Lutheran
Current job: Congresswoman
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: Many Individual Conservatives Helping Elect Leaders Everywhere (MICHELE) PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $659,595.50
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $192,804.90
WATCH Bachmann Wants to 'Set the Table' for 2012 Campaign
PROS: Strong support from Tea Party activists. Minnesota base gives her great access and credibility in Iowa. Proven ability to raise money.
CONS: A polarizing figure. Can she broaden her appeal beyond a narrow slice of the Republican electorate?

Jon Huntsman
U.S. Ambassador to China
"I'm loyal to my country. I'm loyal to my president." Huntsman to reporters at White House state dinner when asked about a 2012 run, January 2011.
Age: 50
Birthplace: Palo Alto, Calif.
Family: Mary Kaye Cooper (wife); Children: Mary Anne, Abigail, Elizabeth, Jon, William, Gracie Mei, and Asha Bharati
Religion: Mormon
Current job: Ambassador
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: N/A

WATCH Obama Jokes About Running Against Huntsman in 2012

Ron Paul
Congressman from Texas
"I don't expect to be president. I don't expect to be. That doesn't mean I won't run for president, but I am really energized when I think we make inroads ... to broaden the outreach on the philosophy I have been talking about for 40 years." Paul to CNN, July 2010.
Age: 75
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Family: Carol Paul (wife); Children: Ronald Paul, Jr., Lori Paul Pyeatt, Senator-elect Randal Paul, Robert Paul, and Joy Paul-LeBlanc
Religion: Baptist
Current job: U.S. Congressman
Previous experience: Ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian and in 2008 as a Republican
Most Recent Book Written: "Liberty Defined: The 50 Urgent Issues That Affect Our Freedom" (due out 4/19/11)
PAC: Liberty PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $183,602.30
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $90,104.20
WATCH Candidate Ron Paul Raised Millions in 08 Campaign.

Rick Santorum
Former Senator from Pennsylvania
"There isn't a single candidate running for president who can claim to be a tea party candidate…I qualify." Santorum to Politico, November 2010.
Age: 52
Birthplace: Winchester, Virginia
Family: Karen Garver Santorum (wife); Children: Elizabeth, Richard, Daniel, Sarah, Peter, Patrick, and Isabella
Religion: Roman Catholic
Current job: Attorney
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good" (2006)
PAC: America's Foundation
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $1,564,303.20
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $102,858
WATCH Santorum Discusses Run for President in 2012

Herman Cain
Former CEO of Godfather's Pizza
" I am confident enough to be president... After I go through this phase and the decision is yes, trust me, I'm running to win." Cain on "Top Line," January 2011.
Age: 65
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee
Family: Gloria Cain (wife); Children: Melanie and Vincent.
Religion: Baptist
Current job: Newspaper columnist
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "They Think You're Stupid: Why Democrats Lost Your Vote and What Republicans Must Do to Keep It" (2005)
PAC: The Hermanator
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $221,945
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $2,246

WATCH Cain Discusses Run for President in 2012

Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III
Former Governor of Louisiana
"I'm going to be a factor in 2012." Roemer on "Top Line" , March 2011.
Age: 67
Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana
Family: Twice divorced
Religion: Methodist
Current job: Bank President and CEO
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "The Roemer Revolution" (1987)
PAC: N/A

WATCH Roemer Discusses Run for President in 2012

John Bolton
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
"Yes, I am considering it." Bolton to conservative WABC radio talk show host Aaron Klein, November 2010.
Age: 62
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Family: Gretchen Bolton (wife); daughter, Jennifer
Religion: Lutheran
Current job: Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty" (2010)
PAC: N/A

WATCH Bolton Has Tough Talk for Iran

George Pataki
Former Governor of New York
"What I'm going to be looking at is, do we have the right people out there who have... experienced leadership, who have been challenged and who can bring people together." Pataki on ABC News' "Top Line," November 2010.
Age: 65
Birthplace: Peekskill, New York
Family: Elizabeth Pataki (wife); Children: Emily, Teddy, Allison, and Owen
Religion: Roman Catholic
Current job: Attorney
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: Revere America
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $0
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $0
WATCH Pataki Discusses Run for President in 2012

'Not Running'

John Thune
Senator from South Dakota
"So at this time, I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America's future here in the trenches of the United States Senate." Thune written statement, February 2011.
Age: 50
Birthplace: Murdo, South Dakota
Family: Kimberly Thune (wife); Children: Brittany and Larissa
Religion: Evangelical Christian
Current job: U.S. Senator
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC:Heartland Values PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $610,195.20
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $182,230
WATCH Thune: Obama 'Reached His Limits' of Influence
PROS: Attractive, young and from the Midwest. Matches up well against a young, attractive Obama. Proven track record of beating tough competition and raising federal funds.
CONS: Washington's an unpopular place, especially for those, like Thune, who voted for TARP. Can he find common ground with "anti-establishment" tea party types? Low name recognition.

Mike Pence
Congressman from Indiana
"We will not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012," Pence said in a letter to supporters written on behalf of himself and his family, January 2011.
Age: 51
Birthplace: Columbus, Indiana
Family: Karen Pence (wife); Children: Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey
Religion: Evangelical Christian
Current job: U.S. Congressman
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: Win Back America PAC
Total 2010 Receipts (from Dec. report): $434,982.50
Cash on Hand (from Dec. report): $52,359.30
WATCH Pence Discusses Run for President in 2012
PROS: Well liked among social conservative crowd. Solid communicator, especially on TV. Part of GOP establishment but has record of standing up to his party on spending issues.
CONS: Not well known outside of D.C. and social conservative circles. Can he raise the money? House members have historically struggled as presidential candidates -- can he be exception to rule?

Jim DeMint
Senator from South Carolina
"No, no I'm not." DeMint to CNN, when asked whether he will seek the GOP nomination, January 2011.
Age: 59
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina
Family: Debbie (wife); four married children
Religion: Presbyterian
Current job: U.S. Senator
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism" (2009)
PAC: Senate Conservatives Fund

WATCH DeMint on GOP, Tea Party Victories in 2010 Elections
PROS: Significant appeal among Tea Party members and social conservative wing of the GOP. Home state wields significant influence in GOP primary.
CONS: Limited appeal beyond the conservative base. Washington, D.C., resume makes it hard to sell himself as a true "outsider."

Chris Christie
Governor of New Jersey
"What do I have to do short of suicide to convince people I'm not running?" Christie at AEI," February 2011.
Age: 48
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
Family: Mary Pat (wife); Children: Patrick, Bridget, Sarah, Andrew
Religion: Roman Catholic
Current job: Governor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: N/A
WATCH Christie on Obama's Tucson Speech, Heated Rhetoric in Politics
PROS: Tough-talking executive who has taken on labor unions and cut government spending. Has outside-the-beltway credentials and is well liked by the Tea Party crowd. Significant name recognition that most small-state governors don't get.
CONS: By 2012, Christie will have been in office three years and has promised to serve a full term.

Rick Perry
Governor of Texas
"I am not running for the presidency of the United States." Perry on NBC "Today" show, November 2010.
Age: 60
Birthplace: Paint Creek, Texas
Family: Anita Thigpen Perry (wife); Children: Griffin and Sydney
Religion: Methodist
Current job: Governor; chairman, Republican Governors Association
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America From Washington" (2010)
PAC: N/A
READ Texas Gov: Texans May Secede From Union

Jeb Bush
Former Governor of Florida
"I'm not running any time that I'm aware of. 2012 for sure." Bush to New York Times, October 2010. "You never say never about anything." Bush to CNN, November 2010.
Age: 57
Birthplace: Midland, Texas
Family: Columba Bush (wife); Children: George, Noelle, and John
Religion: Roman Catholic
Current job: Attorney
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: N/A
PAC: N/A
READ Jeb Bush Quietly Raises His Profile

Bobby Jindal
Governor of Louisiana
"I'm not being coy at all. I'm not running for president in 2012. Period. No if's, and's or but's, no caveats." Jindal to the Associated Press, November 2010.
Age: 39
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Family: Supriya Jindal (wife); Children: Selia Elizabeth, Shaan Robert, and Slade Ryan
Religion: Roman Catholic
Current job: Governor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Leadership and Crisis" (2010)
PAC: N/A

WATCH Jindal Runs Against Obama Economic Recovery Plan

Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York City
"I will rule out a run for president. I have the best job I could possibly have." Bloomberg on NBC's Meet the Press, August 2010.
Age: 68
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Family: divorced; Children: Emma and Georgina
Religion: Jewish
Current job: Mayor
Previous experience: Has never run for president
Most Recent Book Written: "Bloomberg by Bloomberg" (2001)
PAC: N/A
WATCH Bloomberg: Immigration Policy 'National Suicide'
ABC News' Amy Bingham, Maya Srikrishnan, Jared Pliner, Jennifer Schlesinger and Josh Goldstein contributed to this guidebook.